Willow Shields

The last round of The Hunger Games franchise premieres have begun. We’re trying really hard to to get too sentimental, but man, it’s hard to know the days of this wonderful promotion-driven lunacy are numbered. There’s a lot of monotony, but there’s always some brilliant moments that rise from the ashes.

With Berlin and London already in the bag, here’s a little catch-up on those premieres!

First off, the ladies of our franchise are not afraid of their boobs. To which we say YOU GO, LADIES!

These dresses are gorgeous and we’re glad they look so confident, because we’d just be a mess of double-sided tape and anxiety in anything that sassy. Hell, Jena looks like a work of art!

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Willow probably hid their movie theater snacks in their dresses and we forever applaud their ingenuity.

In London, Julianne Moore wore in 19th century nightgown designed by Chanel. At least she seemed comfy?

Yeah, we’re not sure what to make of it either.

As for the news we’ve actually been freaking out about? SAM CLAFLIN IS GOING TO BE A DAD!Like really soon! And somehow they managed to keep it a total secret until the premiere! He and wife Laura Haddock were absolutely adorable, all smiles and cuddles and fawning over the baby bump. AWWWWWWW!

Mainly, it’s just good to see the reassurance that these cast members love each other and have so much fun together. Urgh, we love them!

After catching up with life and the rest of Comic-Con– because holy hell, guys, there was so much win at Comic-Con this year!— we’re finally ready to talk about that Mockingjay Part 2 panel and all its glorious moments.

If you haven’t yet (where have you been?!), watch the panel below:

And now, the lessons begin!

1. Conan O’Brien ain’t responsible for those questions!

Poor Conan! The questions he was given to ask the cast didn’t seem at all organic and contained lengthy chunks of backstory, so he kept having to throw in jokes about how he didn’t write the questions. Describing Peeta as “not Katniss’ biggest fan” after exposition about his whole situation in front of fans who clearly know the books? We’d do the same damn thing, Coco! Of course, it did result in constantly reminding fans just how staged that panel was and that’s certainly a pitfall.

2. Liam Hemsworth is slowly but surely developing a sense of humor!

You know how there are several variations of this meme?

There’s a reason Liam is always Squidward. It’s not that he didn’t has a sense of humor, he just doesn’t always come across that way. Maybe it’s the post-Miley era or maybe it’s just meeting up with old friends, but Liam was actually funny this time! He cracked jokes, he whistled the wrong theme, he giggled when fan’s swooned at him. Hopefully, this means good things for the press madness this fall!

3. Jen still thinks the reference to her nephew as a toastbaby is a spoiler!

Jen slipped and mentioned Josh playing with her nephew, Josh tried to cover it up by pretending the baby was just hangin’ around during epilogue filming. Like we don’t know better! It’s okay Jen, gush totally and completely about your adorable nephews like any auntie does! We all know what happens at the end of the book. Still, Josh’s attempt to cover it all up was quite endearing!

4. We are genuinely embarrassed by some fan Twitter handles!

Your Twitter handle is all yours… riiiight up until you include someone else’s name and make it awkward. Most Hunger Games related handles are referential without being weird, but HemsworthsHugs and Hutcherwife in there totally got the cast weirded out. And suddenly everyone who knows better than that felt awkward too. I actually facepalmed and groaned a little at the latter. Please don’t let these stars think this is representative of the whole fandom! Most of us are normal and not stalking you, we swear!

5. Katniss Everdeen is the new face of the Rhythm Nation!

JJ already covered the new “Stand With Us” propo. It was interesting, but don’t worry– the Internet made it better by making it exactly what we were all thinking just shortly after Miss Janet Jackson announced her upcoming world tour! It only took one of the Jabberjays.net staffer to post this (and about six more hours for a larger entertainment site to steal the idea and make their own).

Side note: We keep thinking of this scene from Across The Universe. We’re not saying it inspired the propo, but the two are now linked in our minds via dancing hardcore soldiers.

6. We’ve had a lot to talk about on Twitter!

According to data from the social media site, the Mockingjay Part 2 panel was THE MOST discussed event at Comic-Con via their social media outlet. Not Star Wars, not Batman v. Superman.. THE HUNGER GAMES. Daaaaamn guys, you must’ve had a lot to say.

7. We’re the only suckers who refuse to leak full trailers!

Not that we blame any of you Comic-Con attendees, of course! The Hunger Games is, in general, a very respectful fandom. They tell you not to record, you don’t record. At least the video. The audio is floating around the Internet. Also, we haven’t been to SDCC, but we’ve been to other cons that monitor the audience like hawks to make sure you’re not recording. Yeesh, it’s intimidating! But as leaks for Deadpool and Suicide Squad and X-Men: Apocalypse hit, we couldn’t help but think “DAMMIT! There wasn’t one asshole in that room willing to attempt it?!” We recognize that it’s purely selfish and we’ll get the trailer soon enough, but still we want the trailer even if we don’t expect the trailer. It’s Fandom 101!

“The Sister Portrait” is a chilling look at Katniss and Prim from the upcoming coffee table book “Tim Palen: Photographs from The Hunger Games”. A commemorative print is going around at Cannes (because apparently the rich industry folk at Cannes need that) and Vanity Fair debuted it for the rest of the masses as well.

OBSERVE!

Let’s just say that there is something gut-wrenching and foreboding about this image and it has EVERYTHING TO DO with Willow Shields’ face. It’s like her eyes are piercing our souls and screaming “Dammit, I’m about to die!” Katniss is looking away trying to figure stuff out, but Prim is looking at you because… Oh shit, it’s about to go down!

We must admit, we started looking through promotional images and paparazzi photos from Mockingjay Part 2 scenes to see if Katniss’ Mockingjay outfit has never been covered in bondage weapons straps. It looks like that’s unique to the photo shoot! Or it’s a design that was considered but ultimately scratched.

While Prim blends in with the old timey looks and the muted colors, Katniss sticks out like a sore thumb. Though they’re standing together, they look very separate. We’re having a hard time deciding if that’s intentional artistry of some sort or photoshop mishap.

But back to our initial point– Is that really Mockingjay Part 2 promotion? The image could easily be from Part 1 or Part 2. Nothing about it specifies either way. If it turns out there’s a whole collection of more specific Part 2 character portraits with this same look and feel, sure! Otherwise, it’s kinda just promotion for Tim Palen’s book (which is cool, but not as cool as obvious, tangible promotion for the final film in a major franchise.) WE NEED MORE in order to make that call!

Because RIGHT NOW feels like a good time for character posters,The Girl With The Pearl

Okay, I did something I’m not necessarily proud of. I watched Dancing With The Stars. TWICE.

Participation perks include free Glamor Shots!

When Willow Shields aka Primrose Everdeen was first announced for the show, we discussed our mixed feelings about a young, talented actress going on a television show typically populated by burnouts (and the occasional legend who is just really bored).

But then something else kicked in… persistent, unnerving CURIOSITY.

Well… Was she good? How complex are the dances? What’s the production quality on a show like that, anyway?

Someone retweeted Mark Ballas saying she was underscored. Was she underscored? We had to discover for ourselves. So we watched:

And hell, Mark was right! She kinda WAS underscored. Because if Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper’s dance in Silver Linings Playbook managed an average of 5, that shit was AT LEAST a 7, dammit! Why are you trying to take this joy away from a 14-year-old?!

But I know from my cheerleading days (I was 12. Allow me to keep my dignity!) that clean lines are really important in competition and.. *sigh*

And that was all it took. The morbid curiosity could only build from there. Oh damn, those dance actually look really difficult. Were they easier on her the next week? There were a couple problems in the first routine. Could she improve?

So yesterday, my bum met the couch once again for round 2:

And it was much better. And there’s still hope for Team MarkingJay– tackiest thing we’ve ever heard, by the way– despite the fact that she’ll eventually lose to Rumer Willis’ crazy-ass legs brought to you by years of personal trainers.

No, we’re not keeping this up. This show just ain’t our jive. But now that we’ve got a couple views out of the way, it’s nice to see that Willow is genuinely having fun with it and not allowing the competition element to drive her crazy. She’s too young for any drama!

But Not Too Young To Cuddle With Mark Ballas Sooooo Heyyyyy,The Girl With The Pearl

The MOCKINGJAY movies finished filming less than a year ago (not counting the epilogue, of course) and already one of the cast is hitting the reality TV show circuit as a celebrity contestant.

14-year-old Willow Shields will be the youngest star to ever hit the dance floor on Dancing With The Stars, an ABC dancing competition filled with “Wait… Who is that again?” celebrities and the occasional A-lister who wants to shake things up.

While we’re not straight-out embarrassed by Willow’s involvement, it does hurt our hearts a little. Willow, you’ve got your whole career ahead of you, darling! You’re just breaking out! Don’t you realize that with a few exceptions, this is where most celebs go when they’re looking for a quick, artificial comeback for their otherwise failing career? Or to be remembered when they’re feeling kind of forgotten? You’re better than that, kid!

Seriously… where does one even DISPLAY this?!

Thankfully, Dancing With The Stars is one of the less obnoxious celebrity reality programs out there. There’s a lot of cheeky costumes and giddy judges, but at least there’s some performance art… right?

We can also remain positive because Willow is not resting her laurels on DWTS. She’s also got three movies she’s tie to in the near future: A Fall From Grace, Conversations with Andy, and The Wonder. So this new reality competition role isn’t her telling us “I have no prospects.” She’s young, she’s got energy, this show has been on TV since she was teeny tiny so she grew up with it. So we’ll let the girl dance!

Hope She Can Foxtrot Like A Badass Motherfucker,The Girl With The Pearl

It’s swept the internet over the past couple of weeks and made over $50 million (and counting for) ALS Association. Some think it’s wasteful and silly, but from a fundraising perspective, it’s worked phenomenally. And it’s given us some priceless videos of people getting cold water dumped over their heads.

And some of the Hunger Games Mockingjay crew have taken up the challenge too, offering us a fun little respite from the August blahs.

Thanks to a fan and PanemPropaganda, the challenge got on Nina Jacobson’s radar, who took up the call and nominated the Mockingjay cast’s leading ladies.

We know that the Holidays aren’t always fun and games, so we’re holding not one but TWO holiday contests to bring on the cheer!

Our 2011 Winner!

CONTEST #1 – HOLIDAY CARD CONTEST
Gather up all your photoshopping/paint skillz to create a humorous, virtual holiday “postcard”. You don’t have to be a graphic design expert, just someone with a fantastic sense of humor!

All holiday postcards submitted will be featured on Victor’s Village. On top of that, we’re giving away an awesome prize to the creator of our favorite design!

The Rules1. BE FUNNY!2. You can theme your holiday card after ANY winter holiday (including one you just made up, if you wish) or in just a general “Happy Holidays” format.3. If you include photos of specific characters that have already been cast in the films, you must use the actor cast as the character! We get it: You wanted someone else to play Katniss or Peeta or Peacekeeper #56. But they’re not, so deal.4. To keep things from getting too big and crazy, keep all holiday cards 600w x 350h or smaller!5. All entries must be sent to thevictorsvillage@gmail.com no later than Monday, December 23! The Victor’s Village staff will pick our favorites and announce the grand prize winner soon after!

CONTEST #2 – DISTRICT PHOTO CONTEST
No matter where you live, you’ve probably seen glimpses of Districts! We want you to take a photo of the “district views” in your neck of the woods and let the world see how you view the districts or The Capitol!

The Rules1. The photo must be an original taken by you. Anything else will be disqualified.2. No Photoshop! If you want to get creative, stick to the Holiday Card Contest!

Mellark Bakery Apron

3. The photo does not have to represent the District you live in, according to the books. So if you live in Europe and take a photo of something that reminds you of District 12, enter it!4. All entries must be sent to thevictorsvillage@gmail.com no later than Friday, December 27! The photos will be voted on by the viewers starting December 28. The winner will be announced December 31!The Prizes

In order to score spots in the prestigious fan camp area of the Hunger Games: Catching Fire red carpet, I, along with the rest of the staff of Welcome to District 12, stayed two nights on Chick Hearn Ct. outside of the Nokia Theatre in LA Live.

Saturday started at 5:30AM, leaving early to make it to our 8:30 check in time with all of our stuff.

Our fansite friends, including fellow Victor’s Village staff members The Girl With The Pearl and Them There Eyes, arrived soon.

Good thing too since Willow Shields and Stephanie Leigh Schlund came to sign posters for fans.

There was also that Kindle Fire booth from the mall tour where we could take our pictures with Katniss.

After grabbing dinner, everyone took their camping chairs and blankets from the camping area to the square to watch the first Hunger Games movie. It was a pretty cool way to watch this movie we’ve seen so many times, considering it was a Saturday night and they were playing the movie in the midst of people heading to clubs and fancy restaurants.

The next day proved to be a big one, with even more Catching Fire people coming to sign posters for fans. We got to meet Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Josh Hutcherson, and Francis Lawrence, who are all awesome.

Throughout the day, the KIIS FM booth ran contests and giveaways, even a scavenger hunt that cause a kid to run up to us frantically asking for a belt (we thought at first he was trying to sell us one). The day ended with a dinner with the fansite runners that was delicious and fun.

At 5 AM the next day, we were all woken up by security to pack up and vacate at 6AM so they could set up completely for the red carpet later that day. Overall, the weekend was a lot of fun, and I would definitely camp again. It was great to be with the fans and to bond with others excited about The Hunger Games.

Besides being really choice photos of the actors, we think these photos reveal a lot about the characters and what THEY have to say! So we took a shot at translating some character thoughts presented in these images. Enjoy!

“I’m trying to stay cool, but I’m pretty sure this full body suit just split down the middle…”

Today, Glamour released some new stills of Sam Claflin and Jena Malone rocking a vintage photoshoot via Just Jared. Besides the obvious fact that they both look fabulous, it also got us thinking about why they’re good for their characters– Jena looks jaded and even a bit intimidating ala Johanna in one shot. And Sam on the ground looking cheeky with that camera? Hellooooo Finnick!

But besides that, it made me think a new thought:“Damn, for some reason, I really want to see Sam Claflin in a movie set in the 60s.”

Some actors just have that look, or that vibe, and you feel like they’d be perfect in a certain film setting. Sam’s got the 60s vibe for me. And the other Hunger Games actors, they’ve got their vibes too! There’s something about them that makes us want to see them play certain types of characters. Let’s discuss, shall we?

Jena Malone: Manic Pixie Girl – Jena is so genuine and bubbly, which makes us think she’d be the actress to play what’s traditionally referred to as a “Manic Pixie Girl” role: A character that’s well-loved and seemingly perfect to the narrator, but has a dark side that slowly unravels throughout the story. Some people consider it a trope, but this type of girl is something to admire when presented by a talented film team.

Bruno Gunn: Cynical War Leader – At first, we were thinking full-on evil overlord, which would also be a splendid choice, but we can see this guy shining in a role that’s a little less Brutus. Instead, we picture him stretching out his chops in a role where he plays a jaded military figure, the one who has done this for too long and seen too much, working with the young and unaware. There’s more versatility there.

Alan Ritchson: Nice Guy Serial Killer – We know! WE KNOW! We’re not saying Alan looks like a serial killer, far from it! But that’s actually what would make him great for the role of a Ted Bundy-esque character who disarms everyone with his charms before things get terrifying. We’d fall for it!

Willow Shields: Youngster Changing the World – Willow seems like she’d be really apt for one of those inspirational films in which a young teen who’s been through too much sets out to make a difference. She’s full of likable sweetness, but there’s grit under that. Maybe it’s because Prim’s grown some cojones in the Catching Fire trailers?

Meta Golding: The Savvy Politician – It may be the international upbringing or the degree in International Relations from an Ivy Leaque university, but Meta Golding has a certain worldliness to her that makes us think she’d play a great politician. Perhaps an ambiguous one or they young blood going up against old school corruption, as those are the best kinds!

There’s a few exmaples! Of course, we’re not saying these are the only roles said actors should take on. Just ones we hope they get the chance to take on, because we would thoroughly enjoy that!

What types of roles would you like to see Hunger Games actors in?

Don’t You Love When Posts End in an Open-Ended Question?!The Girl With The Pearl

A PS PSA!

We’ve recently talked about our distaste for people selling signed Catching Fire posters and the like on eBay, but there is one HUGE EXCEPTION!

Lionsgate and the Catching Fire cast have been kind enough to provide 5 signed Catching Fire posters and five SDCC exclusive Mockingjay pins to be auctioned off to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The winners will receive a letter of authenticity from Lionsgate and 100% of the winning bids go to charity.